Czech Point Vz58 SBR

This weekend I had the chance to handle the new CzechPoint Vz.58 SBR that will hit the market this fall. Iâ€™m excited about the introduction of this rifle as Iâ€™m a fan of the full-size Vz.58 which really hasnâ€™t gotten the attention it deserves in the U.S. market.

The rifle is being built by CzechPoint and exclusively distributed by AGS Armament. Iâ€™ve been promised one of the first production models off the line and will give you a full report on it once I have a chance to thoroughly wring it out. Hereâ€™s what I know so far.

CzechPoint takes a standard Vz.58 rifle and shortens everything forward of the receiver (gas system, barrel, handguards, etc.). Two versions will be available. The one you see here has a heavily truncated front handguard making it an exceptionally short package. The other (not pictured) will have a standard sized front handguard and will be about 4â€³ longer over all. The super short SBR (pictured) will have a length of 28â€³ with the stock extended and 19â€³ with the stock folded. Thatâ€™s a VERY small package. I didnâ€™t have a scale on hand to weigh the rifle, but I will say it felt as though itâ€™s less than 6lbs so itâ€™s a very light package as well.

The rifle is chambered in 7.62Ã—39 with rumblings of a 5.56Ã—45 version down the road. The muzzle wears a CzechPoint designed muzzle brake that adds another 1â€³ or so to the length and is said to be effective, however I didnâ€™t have a chance to shoot it to confirm the effectiveness.

The front sight post is much finer than a standard Vz.58 front post which helps in obtaining a more useful sight picture with the short sight radius. The rear sight is typical for the rifle with graduated elevation adjustments up to 800m, which I find to be more than a bit optimistic for a 7.5â€³ barreled 7.62Ã—39 rifle. I would say it has a practical effective range of 200m or so at best.

The rifle I handed didnâ€™t have a left side accessory rail for mounting optics. The final production version will have drilled and tapped holes so you can attach a rail mount yourself (sold separately). This will give you the option of mounting optics in a similar fashion to how they are mounted on AKâ€™s.

The aluminum 30 round magazines will be abundantly available. The gun has a very nice fit, finish and fell to it. I did notice it wears a Mako Group type pistol grip which Iâ€™ve found to be very ergonomic on the Vz.58.

A lot of people mistake the Vz.58 as a relative of the AK-47 â€” but it isnâ€™t. The only two things the Vz.58 has in common with the AK-47 is the caliber and a similar outward appearance. Internally the two are nothing alike. The gas system, trigger system, magazines, stocks, safety, etc. are all quite different and not a single component is interchangable between the two. The Vz.58 has earned a stellar reputation for reliably though, which is another attribute it shares with the AK-47.